SUNNYVALE, Calif. – For the last two years, in surveys conducted by Brandon Hall Research, CLOs and other learning leaders have identified one of their top priorities as linking their training initiatives to their organization’s business strategy. Now, a new Brandon Hall Research report examines what training organizations actually do to link training to the business goals.

In its continuing series of best practice studies, this leading independent learning research group announced the availability of its newest research report, Linking Training to the Business Goals: In-Depth Descriptions of How IBM, Toyota, and Others Earn Executive Support for Training. This 115-page report provides in-depth case studies and analysis of the superior practices of six leading organizations ranging in size from 650 to 330,000 employees.

What do companies like Avaya, Defense Acquisition University, Ernst & Young, IBM, The Mechanics Bank, and Toyota Motor Sales USA do to support their organizations’ goals when designing and implementing training? The study provides several factors that organizations such as these have overcome to link training to organizational goals:

• Supporting business vs. “order taking”
• Having a “seat at the table”
• Big training projects with big budgets
• The past (simply believing in the value of training) vs. the present (process, cost, benefit)
• Compliance-driven training
• The mindset of the training professioN
• The “craft” of training vs. service-oriented expectations
• “The business” vs. “the people”

The study, which is based on training industry research, questionnaire data, and interviews with learning leaders, offers ten training guidelines that impact organizational effectiveness and the ROI of training initiatives.

“The training profession has its own ideas and models about what good training looks like, how to provide it, and how to evaluate it,” says Tom Werner, co-author and lead researcher for the report. “Once the business strategy is known, training organizations need to aim themselves at the business strategy. Rather than winning support for their own ideas, training departments need to develop the mindset of giving support. If you give support, you’ll naturally earn support.”

The purpose of this study is to provide training organizations with ideas from other training organizations on how to earn support by designing training that links directly to the business goals.

Brandon Hall Research is offering this research report at a special introductory price of $99 (a $495 value). The report is available at no cost to those who subscribe to the Brandon Hall Research Library.

The independent analyst firm Brandon Hall Research provides insight and advice through their publications and consulting on best practices and learning technologies for companies both large and small. The company also sponsors the Excellence in Learning Awards, the first recognition program dedicated entirely to the learning industry. For information, please use our contact form. For more information about “Leadership Development: A Brandon Hall Research Study of How Ten Leading Organizations Train Managers and Executives” visit their Web site at www.brandon-hall.com.